Act I/Scene II

Appearing characters: Peter Quince, Nick Bottom, Francis Flute, Robin Starveling, Snout, Snug

Note that this scene is considerably shorter than the previous one. While the first scene composes of about 6 pages, the second scene composes of only 2 pages. This shortness is also due to the occurrence of few events that affect the general plot of the play.

Plot

 * Peter Quince the carpenter, Snug the joiner, Bottom the weaver, Flute the bellows-mender, Snout the tinker, and Starveling the tailor enter the scene. Quince distributes the roles of the play that will be performed in the marriage of the Duke to everybody (including the ladies). The play being about the “lamentable comedy of Pyramus and most cruel death of Pyramus and Thisby", Bottom takes Pyramus, Flute Thisby, Starveling Thisby’s mother, Quince Thisby’s father and Snug the lion.


 * Even though Bottom humorously tries to take extra roles and Snug tells that he is “slow of study”, the meeting ends without problem and Quince tells them to meet in the palace wood tomorrow. According to Bottom, they can rehearse “more bravely and obscenely” there.